Kazakh President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev on Sunday, June 5, 2022 after casting his vote at a polling station in Nur-Sultan
(dpa) Five months after heavy protests, the population of the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia passed a referendum with a large majority on constitutional amendments to weaken presidential power. 77.17 percent of voters voted for the changes, compared to 18.66 percent, said the head of Kazakhstan’s electoral commission Nurlan Abdirov on Monday, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. Voter turnout was officially 68.06 percent.
Among other things, the constitution now prohibits relatives of the president from holding high government offices in Kazakhstan. The regulation affects both the incumbent President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev and his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev. The referendum will also strip the latter of the honorary title of Elbassi – “leader of the nation” – which in the past gave him influence on politics even after his resignation.
At the beginning of January, violent social and later also political protests and riots broke out in the ex-Soviet republic. These were crushed. According to media reports, the violent clashes have claimed more than 200 lives. To combat the unrest, troops from the Russian-dominated military alliance OKVS (Collective Security Council Organization), among others, were briefly deployed to Kazakhstan.